


summer rain

by belivaird_st



Category: The Price of Salt - Patricia Highsmith, carol - Fandom
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-19
Updated: 2018-06-22
Packaged: 2019-05-25 05:56:46
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,537
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14970536
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/belivaird_st/pseuds/belivaird_st
Summary: Carol and Therese decide to go swimming, even if it’s raining...





	1. Chapter 1

_Summer, 1957_

Therese stared out through the small cabin kitchen window; watching the rain fall and ripple the lake continuously. She pulled out a clean, dripping wet ice cream bowl out of the dish rack and started drying it by using a pink dishrag. Carol appeared now and stood beside her, hands cupping both her elbows. 

"That's a shame, I wanted to go swimming," she sighed.

"Yeah," Therese agreed.

Carol paused, while Therese set the bowl back down on the rack before picking up a wet, speckled drinking glass. "Well, I guess a little rain couldn't hurt us. We could still go out for a swim. How 'bout it?"

Therese blinked, realizing that Carol was actually being serious. Carol squeezed her on the shoulder and told her to put her bathing suit on. So she did, wearing her red-and-white striped single piece, while Carol wore her pale blue bikini. Carol made Therese grin just as soon as she purred inside the curve of her neck; kissing her loudly. They embraced each other in front of the full-length, cracked mirror at the loft bedroom upstairs. The cabin they rented belonged to Abby's parents when they were still alive. Abby disliked it while growing up, and had no use for it except letting only Carol and Therese borrow it for all the weekends they wanted. 

"Let's go," said Carol. Snatching their sandals, they clopped their way downstairs and rushed out through the swinging screen door.

The rain was warm and fell heavily on their heads as their ran across from the cabin through the grass that eventually met with muddy-sand; towards the choppy, gray lake. Carol set her sandals down on the wooden dock and got into the water within seconds. Therese, standing back, hugging her arms close together, stayed put and refused to go in. Through the rain, she watched Carol float on her back, doing a couple of backstrokes before plugging her nose and dipping her face headfirst underwater. Abruptly, she burst back out to breathe. She swiped back a few of her soaking, damp curls away from her dripping, wet face and smiled up towards the goose-pimply, shivering, brunette.

"C'malong, Angel! What are you waiting for?" Carol asked happily, floating with her arms spreading out from side-to-side. 

" _Carol, this is senile!_ " Therese shouted back, but she was smiling and found herself placing her flip-flops down beside Carol's before positioning herself to sit on the wooden dock’s edge just so that her ankles and feet were underwater. She swirled one foot and giggled the minute Carol playfully latched on. Carol swam close enough to rest her arms on top of Therese's bare thighs. They gazed at each other in the sprinkling rain.

"Are you coming in?" Carol asked.

"I suppose so." Therese could see Carol's lips were turning purple and that her eyelashes were beaded with droplets of water.

"It's real easy, sweetheart. There's nothing to it!"

"Watch out," Therese warned. She made a waving gesture for Carol to move. As soon as she did, she cheered and applauded the second Therese pushed herself off the dock; hitting the water headfirst. Therese gasped for air once she resurfaced with her head sticking out; her arms stroking in small circles to stay afloat.

"Here, darling, I got you," Carol murmured. She glided across the water towards Therese and slipped both her arms around her slim, hourglass waist. Therese hooked her wrists around Carol's neck, legs pinned at her sides, and burst out laughing the moment Carol started twirling them around in the water. When she stopped, she drew in for a kiss. Sighing happily, Therese cupped Carol's cheeks with both hands and deepened the kiss; tasting the rain and the strawberries the two of them had when they ate some strawberry shortcake earlier. Carol squeezed Therese tighter against her and pinched her bottom before pulling her mouth away to look deeply into her eyes.

Therese shivered from the cold water, but looked back at her, willingly.

"You’re a dream," Carol spoke softly. 

"I love you," Therese smiled, then sneezed.


	2. Chapter 2

The low, rumble sound of thunder brings both women to huddle closer and listen quietly in the flowing, rippling lake. Deciding that now was the perfect time to head back inside the cabin, Carol begins to trudge her long legs and feet through the soft, grainy sand, while pulling Therese out of the water with her arms still clinging onto the blonde’s neck and her ankles crossed around her waist like an oversized kola. Both their pairs of flip-flops were unintentionally abandoned and left behind on the wooden dock.

“ _Ah-choo!_ ”

“My goodness - Bless you!” Carol laughed once they made it back inside the small cabin’s kitchenette. Therese sniffled as soon as she released her hold on Carol; unfolding her pale, skinny arms and legs to stand back on her sopping wet, bare feet.

“I could use a towel,” Therese mumbled, staring down at the puddle of water forming on the wooden floorboards. Carol quickly disappeared to go fetch her one while she just stood there alone, hugging her cold, shivering body. She smiled the minute Carol came back with a large, bright green bath towel and hummed softly while being draped and dried off with it.

“We should probably get out of these wet bathing suits,” Carol whispered as she kissed Therese tenderly on the lips; kneeling on top of the younger woman on the old, trundle bed, upstairs.

“Is this where...?” Therese sighed and couldn’t finish her sentence. Carol knitted her brows together and snorted out a small laugh.

“What, darling?”

“Never mind,” Therese mumbled, briefly closing her eyes shut. When she reopened them, Carol was still staring back at her. 

“Tell me, Therese.”

“Is this where you and Abby slept all those years ago?”

There. She said it. She couldn’t help think about it, but it was too late to take it back now. Therese watched Carol’s soft, loving expression, change quickly into bitter confusion and pain. Therese picked her head off the pillow and sat up, while Carol moved away from her, cradling her forehead.

“I-I didn’t mean that,” Therese began. “Carol, I’m sorry-” 

“I’ll go make us something. Do you want anything? What do you want? Hot or cold?” Carol said, getting up from the mattress, walking straight towards the old dresser to grab a fresh clean pair of panties, bra, blouse, and her pair of pink pinstripe shorts.

“Hot,” Therese spoke up, feeling the loud pulsing in both ears.

“Alright,” Carol nodded. Therese watched her get undress and change into the clothes with a fairly large, awkward gap wedged between them. Therese was nearly in tears by the time Carol was done changing into her clothes and left her sitting there, alone on the bed, still soaking wet in her own red-and-white striped single piece.


	3. Chapter 3

All Therese could hear downstairs were a few drawers being slammed around and silverware clinking loudly together. She did not want to go and face Carol just yet. It was a horrible mistake on her part for bringing up Abby’s name during their moment in bed when things were just going so well for them. She had always been such a curious person. She always wanted to know everything. However, this time, she went a little too far. Why couldn’t she ever think before speaking?

Buttoning up a sleeveless, polka dot brown shirt, Therese pulled on a pair of black dungarees and carefully hung her wet bathing suit on a drooping clothesline near the window with two clothespins. She waited and listened for more of Carol. No longer hearing anything, she took a deep breath and made her way downstairs. 

_Carol, I’m sorry,_ she kept repeating inside her head as her feet descended one creaky step at a time. _How foolish, stupid of me to speak of Abby like that. Can we try the bed again?_ No! The last bit sounded too desperate! _Oh Carol, please forget I ever said anything! I must think before I speak!_ That was better.

On the last step, Therese was holding her breath, waiting for a sound of water running or some chair legs scraping against wood. But again, the only sounds were the constant pattering of rain hitting above the cabin’s roof and another low rumble of thunder. 

“Carol?” Therese entered the kitchen. There was no signs of the older woman. Everything stood where it was last placed.

“Carol,” Therese repeated her name. A bolt of lightening struck along with a clap of thunder illuminating the entire cabin; startling the brunette. Everything became darker and very uninviting. 

The storm brew stronger carrying a gust of wind that swung the screen door and made it flap wide open. Therese rushed over to close it shut, but then she thought of Carol’s whereabouts and realized she was missing.

“ _Ca-rol! Ca-rol!_ ” Therese kept shouting after her, crying hysterical now. She bolted out of the cabin, running barefoot outside the thunderous, windy rain. Therese stopped halfway on the beach grass to look out towards the lake. The water had changed color somehow and turned a glossy black. Sobbing, Therese shouted once more: “ _CAROL!_ ”

She felt a pair of hands flipping her around; shaking her. Carol was standing right there, holding onto her with both their pairs of flip flops. “ _Shhhhh - Therese! I’m here! It’s all right-_ ” Carol had let Therese squeeze onto her, hugging so tight. Her cries turned into hiccups, which only brought out more tears.

“I’m sor-ry,” Therese spoke up, hiccuping so hard, that she was making her chest hurt.

“ _I was only getting our shoes! We left them behind on the dock!_ ” Carol explained to her harshly, rubbing Therese on the back as she began steering them both back inside the cabin.

“I’m sorry for bringing up Abby,” Therese went on, sitting down at the table as she watched Carol turn her back towards her. “ _I’m stupid! So stupid!_ ”

“Hey now,” Carol warned. “That’s enough of that. You’re not stupid, darling. You just say stupid things...” she set their sandals down before filling the clean plastic ice cube tray over the sink. Then she took a popsicle out from the ice box and passed it along to the crying, young woman. “I know you wanted something hot, but this will cool your throat. You must be burning up a sweat.”

She was. From all the shouting and running, Therese was sweaty and hot and tired and sad. She couldn’t believe that Carol was still there, standing in front of her, holding a frosty treat. She couldn’t take the popsicle, because she didn’t deserve one. In fact, she didn’t deserve Carol, it seemed like.

“I don’t deserve you,” she spoke now, wearily. “I get so caught up with these lovely, beautiful moments with you, and then for some reason-”

“Don’t be so dramatic, Angel. You’re wrong about Abby and I, just to get right to the point,” Carol cut her off firmly. “ _No_ , we've never slept together on that trundle bed. Or spend anytime at this cabin. The only thing Abby has done, has kindly provided this luxurious space for us, and us only.” She unwrapped the popsicle and held it out further. Therese reached up and took the orange pop, but didn’t lick it. She held it in one hand, frozen to her chair.

Carol crossed her arms over chest and watched Therese cry all over again. Sighing, she made her way over and draped her arms around for a hug. 

“I ruin everything,” Therese murmured, sniffling on top of Carol’s shoulder. “What’s wrong with me, Carol?”

“Absolutely nothing. We are not perfect people, Therese. We all make mistakes...” Carol planted a kiss on her temple before releasing her. “I still love you, even when you say disappointing things. But that’s what I love about you, Therese Belivet. You are so innocent, so unpredictable, I feel like everyday’s a new challenge with you. I never know what to expect.”

Therese held the popsicle back out to Carol, who leaned over and ripped the top half of it with her teeth, eyes widening a bit from the cold chill of it, quickly sucking it inside her mouth to melt it down.


	4. Chapter 4

“Therese, pass me a napkin,” Carol spoke between sucking the orange flavored juice ice pop. Cupping her hand over her mouth, she reached and took the napkin Therese had snatched from the table and held it out to her. Carol wiped her mouth and pressed the napkin against her sticky lips. “Well, if you’re not going to bother with it, I might just have to!”

Therese handed Carol the popsicle. On the chair, she covered one hand over her face, soaking wet from the rain again. Silence fell upon the two women with the exceptions of the quivering storm and Carol’s soft, quiet slurps. 

“Are you going to be all right now, T?” Carol asked her, sucking the inside of her mouth. 

“I’m going to rest my head for bit,” Therese spoke back, somberly. Carol nodded as she watched her rise up from her seat at the table and shuffle away back upstairs.

Therese removed the brown polka dot shirt and hung it out to dry next to her bathing suit on the drooping clothesline. Still clothed in her black pants, she crawled herself on top of the trundle bed and laid flat on her bare stomach, facedown. Then she had eventually rolled herself over to lie down on her back on the floral design bedding, her eyes staring upward at the slanted, cobwebby ceiling. A small creak of a footstep coming from the staircase startled her and made her lift her head up to see Carol holding a glass of water. Several small squares of ice cubes were tinkling inside.

“Drink some water,” Carol said, carrying the glass towards the bed. She held it out while Therese sat halfway up, braless. Carol stared longingly down at the brunette, who had been drinking the water out from the glass in loud, large gulps.

“Better?” Carol asked.

Therese didn't answer, but only set the glass down on the floor below her. She leaned back the second Carol swooped over and caught her in a kiss. Kissing back, Therese held onto Carol’s wrists and found herself leaning all the way with Carol pressing her full weight on top. Therese breathed out as soon as Carol pulled their lips apart and let out a small gasp when the blonde started massaging one of her breasts before slipping down underneath the front of her dungarees. 

“Hm, does that feel nice? Are you okay?” Carol whispered below her left ear, rubbing her fingers along the base of Therese’s pelvis. “How’s your head, darling?”

“Fine,” Therese murmured. She hooked her arms around Carol’s neck once more. “Your hand is freezing, Carol...”

“Good thing I have you to warm me up,” Carol chuckled softly, rolling her nose down beneath Therese’s jawline. She pulled her hand out from the trousers and laid it to rest on top of Therese’s navel. Carol nestled closer on Therese and closed her eyes. Stroking the tangled, wet blonde curls, Therese breathed softly underneath Carol on the mattress, soon falling asleep with her true love.

**xxxx**


End file.
